I Had a Dream, Crazy Dream
by JunkieCosmonaut
Summary: Hyde's in a bad accident and goes into a coma. As the gang worry over his condition, Hyde gets a perspective on his life from a certain someone.(Angsty, but not too angsty). ON HOLD!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _That 70's Show _or any of its characters. I do not own the band Led Zeppelin or any of its music (I do, however, own all their albums. But, I don't think that gives me any rights to their music =(…).

**I Had a Dream, Crazy Dream**

**::::Chapter 1::::**

Hyde's black El Camino rolled slowly down the road as he drove home from work that night. It was late—after midnight—when he had finally clocked out that and taken off. As he drove through the small town of Point Place, he retrieved one of his favorite 8-track tapes from the glove compartment. He tapped his finger on the steering wheel as Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same" beat at a steady rhythm over his car speakers. Hyde leaned his head back in fatigue, slowly drifting into a peaceful slumber as he came to the next intersection, waking up just as he unintentionally passed through a red light without stopping.

Quickly, he pressed forcibly on his brakes.

_Screech!!!_

His car began to skid to a stop, but not in time to avoid the large semi passing through the intersection. That last thing Hyde heard before blacking out was the cracking of the windshield. That last thing he felt—the pain of his body being forced through the windshield itself, and banging harshly onto the hood of his car.

Then that was it.

Total darkness.

::::Forman's Place, 1:17 p.m.::::

Kelso rooted curiously through the fridge as the rest of the gang—Eric, Donna, and Fez—sat at the small, round kitchen table in Eric's home.

"What gives Eric?" Kelso asked irately. "No Tang? I haven't had any Tang in the longest time!"

"Why am I not surprised?" remarked Eric with a smile as the rest of the group snickered.

"Oh my sweet Tang, how I also long for you," Fez commented as he looked up dreamily, obviously not referring to the soft drink. The rest of the group looked towards him oddly.

A minute later, the sliding glass door could be heard opening as Jackie appeared in the kitchen, taking a seat next to Donna at the table. She sighed as she set her handbag in front of her. "Don't tell me Steven's still out! He's supposed to help me pick out shoes to wear to the cheerleading banquet tomorrow!"

Eric nodded cockily. "Yeah…I'm sure he'd hate to miss out on that."

The dark brunette crossed her arms as she glowered at him.

Kelso, who had already given up on his Tang, took out a bottle of Dr. Pepper, which he preceded in opening with his teeth. He spit the pop top into the trashcan as he sorely rubbed his jaw. "Yeah, where is Hyde anyway? He was supposed to get off of work at 11:00."

The rest of the gang merely shrugged.

Just then the phone ran.

"Hello?" answered Eric. There was a long pause, and the worry was plain to see on his face. "What! Is he hurt?"

The others quickly sat at attention. Donna stood over Eric's shoulder, trying to hear the other side of the conversation. "Who's hurt?" she asked as Eric quickly waved her away.

"Okay…okay, we'll be right there," Eric said before hanging up the phone. "It was my mom…" He paused uncomfortably. "Hyde's been in a car accident."

"Oh my God," Jackie gasped as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth.

_To Be Continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**::::Chapter 2::::**

Hyde found himself in a large, bright white room. He gazed in wonder at the dreamlike quality of the white, puffy clouds hovering mid-air all around him. He noted the large marble stairway the led up towards the sky and seemed to disappear within the clouds. For a moment, he struggled to figure out exactly where he was. "Heaven?" he asked himself as he studied his mystic surroundings. He shrugged. "Alright," he said, sticking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans. "I made it."

"Not quite, mate," said a familiar voice with an English accent. Hyde could just barely make out the tall, dark figure from behind the clouds, and soon found himself standing before a recognizable, yet mysterious man. He wore black bell bottoms and a small jacket, with not so much as a shirt beneath it. Part of his eccentric outfit, the man's pants were embroidered along the length of the leg with a large, bright, fire-breathing dragon. The man himself was skinny; his long, dark, and curly hair draped around his face. A Gibson Les Paul slung over his shoulder.

"Jimmy Page?" Hyde asked skeptically. "Wait a minute; you didn't happen to be driving a big rig did you?"

Jimmy frowned. "No, mate. I am here because _you _are here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hyde asked, thoroughly confused at the irony of the situation.

"Steven Hyde, do you know why you're here?" Jimmy finally asked.

Hyde thought for a moment. "Let's see. Car…sleep…red light…thrown through windshield. No," he shrugged, "don't have a clue."

"Hyde, as we speak, you're lying in a hospital bed, in a coma, fighting for your life."

"So I'm not dead yet?"

"No. Not yet," replied Jimmy. "You are not dead, neither alive. You are in a tranquil state of mind," Jimmy said as he took out a cigarette and proceeded to light it. "You are in the phase between life and death, blah, blah, blah…" he added apathetically.

"Okay, if I'm not dead, why _am_ I here?" Hyde asked. "I mean, if I was in this horrible car wreck, why am I hanging around this joint?" This has got to be some sort of insane dream, he thought to himself.

Jimmy exhaled a lung full of smoke as he shook his head. "You see, mate, you need to come to an understanding about your life."

 "Uhh…why?" Hyde asked, frowning.

Jimmy shrugged. "It's just always mandatory with these near-death experiences."

 "So will I die or not?" Hyde asked. "I mean, it'd be nice to know whether or not I'm expected to show up to work this week."

"Mate, we'll deal with that later. Right now I have a job to do, and you have a life to reflect on," Jimmy replied impatiently. "Now let's go, _Grizzly Adams _is on in half an hour."

"Okay," Hyde replied. "So, what are you? Some guardian-angel type?"

"Enough with the questions," Jimmy replied, waving his hand dismissively in the air. "A man such as myself cannot be defined with words."

"Alright, but can I just ask what's up with that stairway?" he asked as me motioned towards the white, marble steps that led up into the clouds above.

"It leads to heaven. This is just a holding room," Jimmy replied as he took another drag from his cigarette. "More or less."

"Stairway to heaven?" Hyde asked with a smug grin. "Far out, man."

::::Point Place Memorial Hospital, 1:46 p.m.::::

The small group of teenagers sat waiting nervously in the waiting room of the ER while Red spoke with one of the nurses at the desk. "I need to check up on the condition of a Steven Hyde. That's H-Y-D-E."

"You know, I can't believe this is happening," Donna said in a daze. "We've known Hyde, like, forever."

Jackie, who hadn't said much of anything since the group had arrived at the hospital, sat sobbing in the chair beside Donna. Eric flipped nervously through a magazine while Fez sat silently beside him. Kelso leaned forward in his seat, his hands clasped together as he rocked back and forth impatiently. The entire group stood up as Kitty appeared in the waiting room, obviously fatigued from working all evening.

"Mom, did you see him? How's he doing?" Eric quickly asked as Red came to join them.

"Honey, I'm afraid Steven sustained some bad head trauma. He has a lot of broken bones, and appears to have some pressure on his brain. He was thrown through the windshield; it's a miracle he's even made it this far. The doctor's are doing everything that they can."

Jackie broke down hysterically into sobs as Donna acted quickly to comfort her. Everyone held a grim expression, obviously worried about their friend's condition.

"Man, poor Hyde," Kelso said sadly.

"Will he get better?" Donna asked. "I mean, he _will _be okay, right?"

"Anything's possible," Kitty replied will a false sense of assurance. "Why don't you kids have a seat? I'll get us some coffee."

Eric nodded. "We'll wait here for Hyde to get better; no matter how long it takes," he said as the rest of the group nodded.

Red, able to see through his wife's little white lie, quickly pulled Kitty aside out of earshot of the others. "It doesn't look good, does it Kitty?"

She shook her head as a single tear slipped down her cheek. "No Red, it doesn't. Steven is in a coma; he looks just awful. The doctor's really don't think he has much of a chance." She paused. "He's like a son to us."

Red nodded as he glanced over to Eric, who was sitting quietly next to Donna and Jackie. His heart wrenched. She was right; it felt like they were losing a son. And as far as he was concerned, they were.

_To Be Continued…_ __


	3. Chapter 3

**Story note:** This chapter might be slightly confusing. There are two Hyde's in the hospital room—a comatose Hyde and the invisible Hyde with Jimmy Page who are 'reflecting on his life.' So anytime Hyde says or does anything, it's the invisible Hyde (comatose Hyde can't do much of anything…I mean, he is in a _coma_). Whenever someone other than Jimmy interacts with Hyde (such as nurses, Red, Kitty, the rest of the gang), it's the comatose Hyde. Good God, I hope I didn't confuse you all. Anyways, I hope you understand this, and if you don't, I'm an incredibly crappy writer

**::::Chapter 3::::**

Hyde and Jimmy stood in the hospital room of the ER, the sounds of hospital equipment echoing around them. Hyde watched from afar as his own badly beaten and bruised body struggled for life and a nurse came in to take his vitals. "I look like crap," he said sadly as he stood over his own comatose body and studied the newly formed plaster casts on his right arm, left leg, and right ankle. A gauze bandage was wrapped around his head to conceal the gash in his forehead—a wound caused by his body being thrown through the windshield of his car. Large dark bruises had formed on his face under his eyes. A large tube of a ventilator ran through his mouth, giving him the much needed breaths of air. "I can't even breathe for myself?"

"Eh, mate. It ain't so bad," Jimmy replied, lighting up another cigarette.

"Should you be smoking in here?"

"Hyde, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, we _aren't _here," Jimmy replied as he walked up behind the nurse. "Would you like to see my guitar?" he asked her, blowing smoke towards her as she, ignorant to his presence, tapped the IV bag before turning to leave. He smiled. "I always like to have fun with that."

"What are we doing in this hospital anyway?" asked Hyde. "I mean, I'm already here," he said, motioning towards his unconscious body lying on the bed before him. "Sort of anyways… But how is this 'reflecting on my life'? Looks more like I'm reflecting on my own death."

"You'll see," Jimmy replied as he put out his cigarette on the bottom of his snakeskin boot.

**::::**

A couple of hours had passed since the gang had showed up to the hospital. Every minute spent waiting to hear more on Hyde's condition was a minute of torture. Fez had fallen asleep, resting his head on Kelso's arm, who was also sleeping. Jackie had finally settled down somewhat, not saying much of anything to anyone. Eric and Donna held hands, waiting for Kitty to return with more updates on Hyde. As far as they knew, Hyde was in a coma, had several broken bones, and was breathing by means of a ventilator. As for whether he would pull through or not, they did not know. Red, being the only one that knew the doctor's grim outlook on Hyde's condition, looked the most troubled of all. He sat nervously in the seat across from Eric, getting up to pace about the room every fifteen minutes.

Finally, just as the sun had begun to rise, Kitty returned to the waiting room.

"He seems to be in stable yet critical condition right now. The doctors said it would be okay for everyone to see him as long as it's not all at once," she said with a slight, fake smile.

"Well, Jackie should go first," Donna piped up. But when she looked to the petite brunette, Jackie had curled herself up into a ball and was sleeping peacefully, the tear stains on her cheeks plain to see. "Jackie?"

"Maybe Red should go first," Eric suggested as he glanced at the slumbering girl, knowing it'd be best if she got some rest after such a stressful night. "We can wake Jackie up later."

Red nodded, following his wife to Hyde's room. He didn't know what to expect, but what he saw distressed him immeasurably—Hyde's seemingly lifeless body struggling to stay alive.

**::::**

Hyde looked up as he heard the door open and two people enter the room—Red and Kitty.

"Red?" he asked as he passed Hyde without acknowledging him.

"Parents?" Jimmy asked him as he took a closer look at Kitty's can. "Not bad."

"Not exactly," Hyde replied as he watched the couple stand at the end of the hospital bed where his unresponsive body lie.

"They tell us that sometimes the patients can still hear you when they're in a coma," Kitty said, urging her husband to give words of comfort.

"Lady, you have no idea," Jimmy said loudly.

Red cleared his throat. "Steven…Uhh…" Kitty gestured to him encouragingly. "I… I told you you should always wear your safety belt!"

"Oh Red!" Kitty exclaimed. "I meant say something comforting, not threaten the boy. For God sakes, he's in the _hospital_."

Hyde smirked. "That's Red for ya."

Kitty gently took the unconscious Hyde's limp hand to hold it. "Steven, what he meant to say is that we hope you feel better soon," she said. "Well you've got the best darn tootin' doctors in all of Wisconsin!"

"That's not saying much," muttered Hyde as he watched.

"And…" added Kitty. "We love you Steven." She placed a gentle kiss on Hyde's cheek.

"Steven," Red offered. "You're tough; I know you'll pull through." He forced a small smile, deciding it wouldn't hurt to be a little un-Red-like for Hyde's sake. "You know, I've never said this, but you're like the son I've never had."

Hyde watched Kitty and Red speak to his unconscious self as he smiled a little, feeling a little stupid that their words meant so much to him. What did Hyde care? He never needed anyone before. The moment he started relying too much on one person, he knew he would be setting himself up for a disappointment. He had had too many letdowns in the past to believe otherwise.

"Now Red Forman," Kitty said as she put her hands on her hips, "you have a son."

"Yes. And Steven's not at all like him. Like I said, he's tough." He smiled. "Can't really say the same for Eric."

"I'll second that," piped up Hyde.

"Seems like a nice bloke," Jimmy said as he watched. "The bird's not too shabby either."

"Yeah, man," Hyde replied. "I guess if it weren't for Forman's parents, I'd probably be living in a cardboard box out back the Fatso Burger and eating leftovers out of the dumpster." He thought for a moment. "Or in prison."

They've certainly done a lot more for me than my own parents ever have, he added in thought. Remembering back to the day his mother left him made him cringe in anger._ "Hyde, I know I'm your mother, but I'm leaving you." _Those were her exact words when she called him to tell him that she wouldn't be back. And the fact that his father and mother left together, forcing him to live with the Forman's once again, made him all the more irritated. He'd been dumped once by his own mother; and twice by his father. But it was different with the Formans; they were always there for him. Hell, they didn't even force him out when he had turned 18 like he had expected them to.

But Hyde knew well that the Formans were there for him even before that, convincing him to stay in Point Place instead of dropping out of school and going to New York with that punk-rocker, Chrissy. Not to mention all the times when he was younger and his mother was either too poor or too lazy to feed him. And, although he never talked about it much, Eric's house was his refuge from his abusive father before the good-for-nothing man finally walked out of his life. Yes, he never really mentioned to the Formans the beatings he received at home when he was younger—just made a few jokes here and there as if it weren't a big deal. Of course, he would never admit that it was.

Hyde never let on how much he really did need them; how much he appreciated everything they had done for him. And he knew too well that he probably never would, although he did treat Red and Mrs. Forman with the utmost respect. Mrs. Forman never yelled; Red never hit. To him, they were the closest thing he ever did have to real parents.

_To Be Continued…_

_Okay, it was never mentioned on the show that Hyde's father beat him. This is an assumption I came to (or maybe just something I just made up myself). In the episode where Hyde is living with the Formans, he says that syrup was a privilege at his house, "like pillowcases and not getting hit." I decided to read into that a little too much. **=)**_


End file.
